Printing device

Abstract

A printing device includes a main body, and a cassette attached to and detached from the main body. A locating shaft is provided on a back surface of the cassette. A ball that can protrude toward an outer side is provided in the locating shaft. A cylindrical guide body is provided at a position facing the locating shaft on a front surface of the main body. The cylindrical guide body guides and locates the locating shaft to a predetermined position on a side of the main body along an axis direction. When the locating shaft is located at the predetermined position, the ball engages with an engaged hole provided in the cylindrical guide body. The locating shaft is locked to the cylindrical guide body. A release button is pressed down by a user to release locking performed by the ball.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A printing device, comprising:
 a main body having a head support surface on which a thermal head is supported; and 
 a cassette including a plate-shaped cassette base, a supply roll shaft, and a winding roll shaft, and detachably attached to the head support surface of the main body along an axis direction of the supply roll shaft and the winding roll shaft, the supply roll shaft rotatably supporting a ribbon supply roll and being provided on one side, in a predetermined direction, of a facing surface of the cassette base facing the head support surface, and the winding roll shaft rotatably supporting a ribbon winding roll and being provided on an other side, in the predetermined direction, of the facing surface, 
 wherein the printing device is configured to perform printing by transferring ink of an ink ribbon onto a print medium due to heating of the thermal head, the ink ribbon being fed out from the ribbon supply roll and wound around the ribbon winding roll through the thermal head, and 
 wherein the printing device further comprises:
 a guided portion provided on the facing surface of the cassette base; 
 a guide portion provided at a position facing the guided portion on the head support surface of the main body, and configured to guide and locate the guided portion to a predetermined position on a side of the head support surface along the axis direction; 
 a lock unit provided in the guided portion and configured to lock the guided portion to the guide portion in a state where the guided portion is located at the predetermined position by the guide portion; 
 a release unit configured to release locking performed by the lock unit; and 
 a grip portion provided on an outer surface of the cassette base on a side opposite to the facing surface, and configured to be gripped by a user, wherein the release unit is provided in the grip portion. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The printing device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the guided portion is provided between the supply roll shaft and the winding roll shaft in the predetermined direction on the facing surface of the cassette base, and is provided, in a state where the cassette is mounted, at a location on a side opposite to the thermal head with respect to the supply roll shaft in an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the predetermined direction and the axis direction. 
 
     
     
       3. The printing device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the guided portion includes a rod-shaped shaft extending from the facing surface toward a side of the head support surface in parallel with the axis direction, 
 wherein the guide portion includes a cylindrical guide body extending from the head support surface toward a side of the facing surface in parallel with the axis direction, and configured to guide and locate the shaft to the predetermined position by inserting the shaft inside the cylindrical guide body, 
 wherein the lock unit includes:
 an engagement portion provided to be cable of protruding from an opening portion from an inner side toward an outer side of the shaft in a radial direction, and being engageable with an engaged hole through the opening portion in a state where the shaft is guided to the predetermined position by the cylindrical guide body, the opening portion being provided on an outer peripheral surface of the shaft, and the engaged hole being provided in an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical guide body, and 
 
 wherein the release unit is provided in the shaft, and is configured to move the engagement portion to the inner side in the radial direction to disengage the engagement portion from the engaged hole. 
 
     
     
       4. The printing device according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the shaft includes:
 a cylindrical holder fixed to the facing surface and extending in parallel with the axis direction toward the side of the head support surface; and 
 a cylindrical guide shaft coaxially disposed in the holder and extending from a tip end portion of the holder toward the side of the head support surface, the tip end portion facing the side of the head support surface, 
 
 wherein the release unit includes:
 a rod-shaped center shaft disposed in the holder and the guide shaft, and provided to be movable along a length direction of the holder and the guide shaft, 
 
 wherein the lock unit includes:
 a first biasing member configured to constantly bias the center shaft toward a side of the cassette base, 
 
 wherein the engagement portion is a spherical body, and is provided between the guide shaft and the center shaft, the spherical body being disposed to be slidable on an outer peripheral surface of the center shaft, and a part of the spherical body being exposed from the opening portion to engage with the engaged hole in a first state where the spherical body is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the center shaft moved toward the side of the cassette base by the first biasing member, 
 wherein a recessed portion recessed toward an inner side of the center shaft in a radial direction is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the center shaft at a position closer to the side of the cassette base than a position with which the part of the spherical body is in contact in the first state, and 
 wherein the release unit is configured to shift from the first state to a second state where the spherical body is in contact with the recessed portion and to disengage the spherical body from the engaged hole by moving the center shaft toward the side of the head support surface against a biasing force of the first biasing member and disposing the recessed portion at a position of the spherical body, to release the locking. 
 
     
     
       5. The printing device according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the guide shaft is supported in the holder to be rotatable about an axis, and 
 wherein the printing device comprises:
 a second biasing member provided in the holder and configured to constantly bias the guide shaft in one direction about the axis; and 
 a guide groove provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical guide body, extending from one end portion of the cylindrical guide body toward the engaged hole to be inclined in a direction opposite to the one direction about the axis, and configured to guide the part of the spherical body exposed from the opening portion from the one end portion to the engaged hole, the one end portion facing the side of the cassette base. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The printing device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the second biasing member is a torsion coil spring. 
 
     
     
       7. The printing device according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the release unit includes an operation unit fixed to one end portion of the center shaft located on a side of the holder, and configured to push the center shaft toward the side of the head support surface. 
 
     
     
       8. The printing device according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the shaft includes:
 a cylindrical holder fixed to the facing surface and extending in parallel with the axis direction toward the side of the head support surface; and 
 a cylindrical guide shaft coaxially disposed in the holder and extending from a tip end portion of the holder toward the side of the head support surface, the tip end portion facing the side of the head support surface, 
 
 wherein the release unit includes:
 a rod-shaped first shaft and a rod-shaped second shaft disposed in the holder and the guide shaft, and coaxially provided to be movable along a length direction of the holder and the guide shaft, 
 
 wherein the cylindrical guide body includes an abutment portion configured to, in a state where the cassette is mounted to the main body, abut against the second shaft to restrict the guide shaft from moving toward the side of the head support surface in the length direction of the guide shaft, 
 wherein the lock unit includes:
 a third biasing member disposed between the first shaft and the second shaft, and configured to bias the first shaft toward a side of the cassette base in a state where the cassette is mounted to the main body, 
 
 wherein the engagement portion is a spherical body, and is provided between the first shaft and the center shaft, the spherical body being disposed to be slidable on an outer peripheral surface of the first shaft, and a part of the spherical body being exposed from the opening portion to engage with the engaged hole in a locked state where the spherical body is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first shaft moved toward the side of the cassette base by the third biasing member, 
 wherein a recessed portion recessed toward an inner side of the first shaft in a radial direction is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first shaft at a position closer to the side of the cassette base than a position with which the part of the spherical body is in contact in the locked state, and 
 wherein the release unit is configured to shift from the locked state to a released state where the spherical body is in contact with the recessed portion and to disengage the spherical body from the engaged hole by moving the first shaft toward the side of the head support surface against a biasing force of the third biasing member and disposing the recessed portion at a position of the spherical body, to release the locking.